August 2019 - Parks & Recreation - 57

2019
ANNUAL CO
NFERENCE
SEPTEM BER 24-26
| BAL

all ages to achieve their own brand
of success.
On Thursday, September 26, the
Closing General Session will cap
off your experience with a presentation by Haben Girma, the first
Deafblind person to graduate from
Harvard Law School, followed by
an energetic performance by A1
Chops - a renowned drumming
duo from Baltimore. (See page 56
for more details about what promises to be a motivational send off!)

Ain't No Party Like a Park
and Recreation Party
What would the largest park and
recreation event of the year be without a little fun? The NRPA Opening
Reception is the best place to unwind, socialize and show off your
park rec two step to your colleagues.
This year's party will take place on
Tuesday, September 24, at M&T
Bank Stadium - home of the Baltimore Ravens. Attendees can enjoy
live music and Baltimore-inspired
food and drinks, while letting loose
with thousands of their peers.

Networking Fun
On Monday, September 23, firsttime attendees can network with
other first-timers while enjoying
food, drinks and painting fun at
Phillips Seafood. Attendees will
not only leave with new friends,
but also with their very own
hand-painted 2019 NRPA Annual Conference tote bag! We are
also inviting current students to a
unique networking event (www.
nrpa.org/conference/networking-events/student-pep-rally)
at
the Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor
Hotel on Tuesday, September 24.

Students can hang out with fellow
future park and recreation professionals and show off their school
colors. There will also be multiple
university graduate program representatives there to share details
about their programs.

The Exhibit Hall
of Your Dreams
There's so much to see and do in
the exhibit hall, and each year it
just gets bigger. With more than
400 exhibitors, the exhibit hall is
filled with the newest, most innovative products and services in the
field. Test out cutting-edge playground equipment, athletic gear,
aquatics products and other services from top brands. Attendees
can also join NRPA staff in the
NRPA member area where there
will be fun games, a comfortable
space to network and get off your
feet, and the opportunity to learn
about all the member benefits.

Celebrate the
Best of the Best
At this annual ceremony, we recognize and celebrate the most inspirational people and programs
by presenting the 2019 Innovation

Awards, Spotlight Awards and the
Park Champion of the Year Award.
We also recognize the newly accredited and re-accredited park and
recreation agencies and academic
programs, Young Professional Fellows, Diversity and Student Scholarship recipients, and professionals
who have recently achieved their
CPRP or CPRE designations.

Advocate for Parks
and Recreation
Washington, D.C., is only a short
drive from Baltimore, so take advantage of this great opportunity to
build relationships with your members of Congress. On Friday, September 27, NRPA's Public Policy
team will host a Hill Day to advocate for parks and recreation. The
team will provide training, help
schedule meetings with legislators
and accompany you on your visit.
If you don't want to miss out on
all of these events, make sure you
register for the 2019 NRPA Annual Conference (www.nrpa.org/con
ference) in Baltimore, Maryland,
this September 24-26.
Catrina Belt is NRPA's Marketing
Manager (cbelt@nrpa.org).

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August 2019 - Parks & Recreation

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